May23
May 23rd, 2016 // NUMBER 21 of 2016
Hello from Cosenza!
WHAT A WEEK it has been. We have been blessed to see miracle, after
miracle, after miracle...and it has been pretty neat to be apart of.
I'd like to share two of them that are pretty neat.
Number 1>
On Saturday we practically sprinted for 20 minutes to a park way out
of Cosenza to meet with a few young kids that we met the week before.
There are 4 guys, ages ranging from 16 to 18 and they were pretty
interested in what we had to offer. We sprinted out to the park at 6
and only had a few minutes with them before they all had to take off.
They were super cool kids and it went super well. After they left, we
started walking to a less actives house and we walked by a bus stop.
You will never guess who was sitting at the bench of the bus stop, the
Romanian mother who left Romania to come to Italy so she could make
enough money to put her kid through law school back in Romania. We had
a super good conversation with her the last week,but couldn't get her
number because her bus pulled up and left so fast. WE found her!! We
had been praying and praying and praying for the chance to see her
again or for her to call us...and we received an answer to those
prayers. It was a MIRACLE and a half. We came around the corner and I
just said,..You have. Got to be kidding me.... She was so happy to see
us and we were so happy to see her as well. We talked for a little bit
and we surely got her number this time around. Wasn't missing out on
that opportunity again, that's for sure! She said to us,...I just felt
something that I've never felt before when I was talking to you the
last time. It felt good and I want to know more.... Hearing that was
like music to our ears. We got her number and wished her a good
evening. She is just as excited as we are to meet in the next few days
and I hope that all goes well.
Number 2>
Friday and Saturday I had the opportunity to head back to Crotone for
the first time since I was transferred just about a year ago. It was
truly one of the happiest days of my mission and one of the most
rewarding as well.
We were sitting at the church at about 7 waiting to start a meeting
that the Crotone Elders had to be too and while we were there
Antonella came walking through the front door of the church. I didn't
expect to see her there and she didn't expect to see me there. She
recognized me immediately and tossed her arms around me. It felt super
good. I saw the biggest miracle of my mission so far with Antonella
and it was so rewarding to see her again. She was so happy and I was
be happier. I'll send some pictures home of that re-encounter, but it
was truly incredible. It was good to see the things that I saw in the
beginning of my mission and it was really good to see who I've become
in the complete year since the last time I found my self in Crotone.
I've surely changed in many different ways since the Crotone days, but
I'm still the same old Jard and always will be.
Here is the miracle though.
When I was here last year, My companion and I found this family and we
started working with them. This family was GOLDEN, and especially the
mom and son. We taught them the first lesson and then my companion
finished his mission and I was transferred to Pozzuoli.. Sadly after
we left, they kind of fell off of the map and nobody was able to get
back over to that house. Well while the Crotone Elders were at their
meeting, I grabbed Anziano Garrett and we headed over to that house.
We got over and the apartment building door was open, which is RARE in
itself and we walked up to their front door. We rang the door bell,
the son came to the door and said....Its the Mormons.... We got let
into their home and immediately they recognized. They gave me hugs and
welcomed me home like I was their own son. Turns out that the parents
are having some major marital problems, which we were unaware of
before heading over to there house. We talked for a little while and
than shared the most powerful little spiritual thought that I have
been apart of here in the mission field. We talked about the family
and why the family is essential. The spirit was BOOMING in the room and the
whole family was paying super close attention to us the entire time.
They agreed to take the lessons once again and I am hoping for the
best there. When I left Crotone last year, and I found out that they
fell off of the map...a sour taste was left in my mouth and stayed
there until they opened their door Friday evening. It was an amazing
return trip.
those are the miracles from this week.
I would like to close with a small thought this week.
When we are sick, we take medications to fight the sickness inside of
our body. When we break an arm or twist an ankle, we take some anti
inflammatory medication and keep some ice close by. When we have a
head ache, we try to calm down the noises and disturbances around us
and take a nap. In all of these situations we look inwards, to make
sure that we are okay. There is no harm done in looking inwards to
heal our mortal body, it is something we all must do at one time or
another.
Now, when we are stricken with grief over the loss of a loved one or
weighed upon by the burdens of every day life...we need healing. The
healing that I am referring to is the healing of the soul. There is
one way to overcome heartache, grudges, pain and suffering and one way
only...that is turning outward towards others, instead of focusing
inwardly. Turning outward means serving others, meanwhile we are
broken on the inside. Such acts of service and love like this truly
heal the soul.
I want to share a piece of a talk from Elder Bednar that he gave
about 12 years ago. It is pretty powerful talk and I apologize because
it all came out double spaced for some reason. Enjoy.
/// Let me now briefly share with you two memorable experiences from
my service as a stake president that highlight the relationship
between our actions and a Christlike character. Early one summer
morning I was showering. My wife called to me in the middle of my
shower and indicated that I was needed immediately on the
telephone. (Obviously this was before the day of cell and
cordless phones. I quickly put on my robe and hurried to the
phone. I next heard the voice of a dear sister and friend
informing me of a tragic automobile accident that had just
occurred in a very remote area involving three teenage young
women from our stake. Our friend indicated one of the young
women had already been pronounced dead at the scene of the
accident and that the two other young women were badly
injured and presently were being transported to the regional
medical center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She further reported
that the identity of the deceased young woman was not yet
known. There was urgency in her voice, but there was no
panic or excessive alarm. She then asked if I could go to
the hospital, meet the ambulance when it arrived, and assist
in identifying the young women. I answered that I would leave
immediately. During the course of our telephone conversation
and as I listened to both the information being conveyed and
the voice of our friend, I gradually became aware of two
important things. First, this friend’s daughter was one of the
young women involved in the accident. Our friend lived
approximately 35 miles from the hospital and therefore she
needed the assistance of someone who lived closer to the
city. Second, I detected that this good woman simultaneously was
using two telephone handsets--with one in each hand pressed to
each of her ears. I became aware that as she was talking
with me, she was also talking with a nurse at a small rural
hospital who had initially attended to the three accident
victims. Our friend was receiving updated information about
the condition of the young women in the very moment she was
informing me about the accident and requesting my help. I
then heard one of the most remarkable things I have ever
heard in my life. I faintly heard the nurse telling this
faithful mother and friend that the young woman pronounced
dead at the scene of the accident had been positively
identified as her daughter. I could not believe what I was
hearing. I was listening to this good woman in the very
moment that she learned of the death of her precious
daughter. Without hesitation, and with a calm and most
deliberate voice, our friend next said, “President Bednar, we
must get in contact with the two other mothers. We must let
them know as much as we can about the condition of their
daughters and that they will soon be in the hospital in
Fayetteville.” There was no self-pity; there was no
self-absorption; there was no turning inward. The Christlike
character of this devoted woman was manifested in her
immediate and almost instinctive turning outward to attend to
the needs of these other suffering mothers. It was a moment
and a lesson that I have never forgotten. In a moment of
ultimate grief, this dear friend reached outward when I likely
would have turned inward. I then drove to the hospital with
a concern in my heart for the well-being of the two other
beautiful young women who had been involved in the accident.
Little did I realize that the lessons I would learn about
Christlike character--lessons taught by seemingly ordinary
disciples--were just beginning. I arrived at the hospital and
proceeded to the emergency room. After properly establishing
who I was and my relationship to the victims, I was invited
into two different treatment areas to identify the injured
young women. It was obvious that their respective wounds were
serious and life threatening. And the lovely countenances and
physical features of these young women had been badly marred.
Within a relatively short period of time, the two remaining
young women also died. All three of these virtuous, lovely,
and engaging young women--who seemed to have so much of life
in front of them--suddenly had gone home to their Eternal
Father. My attention and the attention of the respective
families now shifted to funeral arrangements and logistics. A
day or so later, in the midst of program planning and
detail arranging for the three funerals, I received a phone
call from the Relief Society president of my home ward. Her
daughter had been one of the victims in the accident, and
she and I had talked several times about her desires for the
funeral program. This faithful woman was a single mother rearing
her only child--her teenage daughter. I was especially close
to this woman and her daughter having served as both their
bishop and stake president. After reviewing and finalizing
several details for the funeral of her daughter, this good
sister said to me, “President, I am sure it was difficult
for you to see my daughter in the emergency room the other
day. She was severely injured and disfigured. As you know, we
will have a closed casket at the funeral. I have just
returned from the funeral home, and they have helped my
daughter to look so lovely again. I was just wondering… why
don't we arrange a time when we can meet at the mortuary and
you can have one last look at her before she is buried. Then
your final memories of my daughter will not be the images you
saw in the emergency room the other day.” I listened and
marveled at the compassion and thoughtfulness this sister had
for me. Her only daughter had just been tragically killed, but
she was concerned about the potentially troublesome memories I
might have, given my experience in the emergency room. In
this good woman I detected no self-pity and no turning
inward. Sorrow, certainly. Sadness, absolutely. Nevertheless, she
reached outward when many or perhaps most of us would have
turned inward with sorrow and grief. Let me now describe one
final episode related to these three tragic deaths. On the
day of her daughter's funeral, this Relief Society president
from my home ward received a phone call from an irritated
sister in our ward. The complaining sister had a cold and
did not feel well, and she basically chewed out the Relief
Society president for not being thoughtful or compassionate
enough to arrange for meals to be delivered to her home.
Just hours before the funeral of her only child, this
remarkable Relief Society president prepared and delivered a
meal to this complaining and murmuring sister.///
In the midst of losing her own daughter and having been hit with such
a difficult trial, this sister immediately reach out on several
different occasions. I was left pretty speechless as I heard this talk
for the first time and as I have studied it since. This sister was
healing her soul by reaching outward to serve others, even though she
was broken on the inside. What a powerful story. What a powerful lady.
It is an interesting concept isn't it? We heal ourselves, by reaching
out. I hope that I will always reach out, instead of always looking to
help myself...even in the face of difficult trials.
I love you all so much. Have a great week. REACH OUT....it heals the
soul. We can receive answers to our prayers. God is so merciful.
MUCH LOVE!!
--
Anziano JarDee Nessen
Italy Rome Mission
Romans 8:35-39
WHAT A WEEK it has been. We have been blessed to see miracle, after
miracle, after miracle...and it has been pretty neat to be apart of.
I'd like to share two of them that are pretty neat.
Number 1>
On Saturday we practically sprinted for 20 minutes to a park way out
of Cosenza to meet with a few young kids that we met the week before.
There are 4 guys, ages ranging from 16 to 18 and they were pretty
interested in what we had to offer. We sprinted out to the park at 6
and only had a few minutes with them before they all had to take off.
They were super cool kids and it went super well. After they left, we
started walking to a less actives house and we walked by a bus stop.
You will never guess who was sitting at the bench of the bus stop, the
Romanian mother who left Romania to come to Italy so she could make
enough money to put her kid through law school back in Romania. We had
a super good conversation with her the last week,but couldn't get her
number because her bus pulled up and left so fast. WE found her!! We
had been praying and praying and praying for the chance to see her
again or for her to call us...and we received an answer to those
prayers. It was a MIRACLE and a half. We came around the corner and I
just said,..You have. Got to be kidding me.... She was so happy to see
us and we were so happy to see her as well. We talked for a little bit
and we surely got her number this time around. Wasn't missing out on
that opportunity again, that's for sure! She said to us,...I just felt
something that I've never felt before when I was talking to you the
last time. It felt good and I want to know more.... Hearing that was
like music to our ears. We got her number and wished her a good
evening. She is just as excited as we are to meet in the next few days
and I hope that all goes well.
Number 2>
Friday and Saturday I had the opportunity to head back to Crotone for
the first time since I was transferred just about a year ago. It was
truly one of the happiest days of my mission and one of the most
rewarding as well.
We were sitting at the church at about 7 waiting to start a meeting
that the Crotone Elders had to be too and while we were there
Antonella came walking through the front door of the church. I didn't
expect to see her there and she didn't expect to see me there. She
recognized me immediately and tossed her arms around me. It felt super
good. I saw the biggest miracle of my mission so far with Antonella
and it was so rewarding to see her again. She was so happy and I was
be happier. I'll send some pictures home of that re-encounter, but it
was truly incredible. It was good to see the things that I saw in the
beginning of my mission and it was really good to see who I've become
in the complete year since the last time I found my self in Crotone.
I've surely changed in many different ways since the Crotone days, but
I'm still the same old Jard and always will be.
Here is the miracle though.
When I was here last year, My companion and I found this family and we
started working with them. This family was GOLDEN, and especially the
mom and son. We taught them the first lesson and then my companion
finished his mission and I was transferred to Pozzuoli.. Sadly after
we left, they kind of fell off of the map and nobody was able to get
back over to that house. Well while the Crotone Elders were at their
meeting, I grabbed Anziano Garrett and we headed over to that house.
We got over and the apartment building door was open, which is RARE in
itself and we walked up to their front door. We rang the door bell,
the son came to the door and said....Its the Mormons.... We got let
into their home and immediately they recognized. They gave me hugs and
welcomed me home like I was their own son. Turns out that the parents
are having some major marital problems, which we were unaware of
before heading over to there house. We talked for a little while and
than shared the most powerful little spiritual thought that I have
been apart of here in the mission field. We talked about the family
and why the family is essential. The spirit was BOOMING in the room and the
whole family was paying super close attention to us the entire time.
They agreed to take the lessons once again and I am hoping for the
best there. When I left Crotone last year, and I found out that they
fell off of the map...a sour taste was left in my mouth and stayed
there until they opened their door Friday evening. It was an amazing
return trip.
those are the miracles from this week.
I would like to close with a small thought this week.
When we are sick, we take medications to fight the sickness inside of
our body. When we break an arm or twist an ankle, we take some anti
inflammatory medication and keep some ice close by. When we have a
head ache, we try to calm down the noises and disturbances around us
and take a nap. In all of these situations we look inwards, to make
sure that we are okay. There is no harm done in looking inwards to
heal our mortal body, it is something we all must do at one time or
another.
Now, when we are stricken with grief over the loss of a loved one or
weighed upon by the burdens of every day life...we need healing. The
healing that I am referring to is the healing of the soul. There is
one way to overcome heartache, grudges, pain and suffering and one way
only...that is turning outward towards others, instead of focusing
inwardly. Turning outward means serving others, meanwhile we are
broken on the inside. Such acts of service and love like this truly
heal the soul.
I want to share a piece of a talk from Elder Bednar that he gave
about 12 years ago. It is pretty powerful talk and I apologize because
it all came out double spaced for some reason. Enjoy.
/// Let me now briefly share with you two memorable experiences from
my service as a stake president that highlight the relationship
between our actions and a Christlike character. Early one summer
morning I was showering. My wife called to me in the middle of my
shower and indicated that I was needed immediately on the
telephone. (Obviously this was before the day of cell and
cordless phones. I quickly put on my robe and hurried to the
phone. I next heard the voice of a dear sister and friend
informing me of a tragic automobile accident that had just
occurred in a very remote area involving three teenage young
women from our stake. Our friend indicated one of the young
women had already been pronounced dead at the scene of the
accident and that the two other young women were badly
injured and presently were being transported to the regional
medical center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She further reported
that the identity of the deceased young woman was not yet
known. There was urgency in her voice, but there was no
panic or excessive alarm. She then asked if I could go to
the hospital, meet the ambulance when it arrived, and assist
in identifying the young women. I answered that I would leave
immediately. During the course of our telephone conversation
and as I listened to both the information being conveyed and
the voice of our friend, I gradually became aware of two
important things. First, this friend’s daughter was one of the
young women involved in the accident. Our friend lived
approximately 35 miles from the hospital and therefore she
needed the assistance of someone who lived closer to the
city. Second, I detected that this good woman simultaneously was
using two telephone handsets--with one in each hand pressed to
each of her ears. I became aware that as she was talking
with me, she was also talking with a nurse at a small rural
hospital who had initially attended to the three accident
victims. Our friend was receiving updated information about
the condition of the young women in the very moment she was
informing me about the accident and requesting my help. I
then heard one of the most remarkable things I have ever
heard in my life. I faintly heard the nurse telling this
faithful mother and friend that the young woman pronounced
dead at the scene of the accident had been positively
identified as her daughter. I could not believe what I was
hearing. I was listening to this good woman in the very
moment that she learned of the death of her precious
daughter. Without hesitation, and with a calm and most
deliberate voice, our friend next said, “President Bednar, we
must get in contact with the two other mothers. We must let
them know as much as we can about the condition of their
daughters and that they will soon be in the hospital in
Fayetteville.” There was no self-pity; there was no
self-absorption; there was no turning inward. The Christlike
character of this devoted woman was manifested in her
immediate and almost instinctive turning outward to attend to
the needs of these other suffering mothers. It was a moment
and a lesson that I have never forgotten. In a moment of
ultimate grief, this dear friend reached outward when I likely
would have turned inward. I then drove to the hospital with
a concern in my heart for the well-being of the two other
beautiful young women who had been involved in the accident.
Little did I realize that the lessons I would learn about
Christlike character--lessons taught by seemingly ordinary
disciples--were just beginning. I arrived at the hospital and
proceeded to the emergency room. After properly establishing
who I was and my relationship to the victims, I was invited
into two different treatment areas to identify the injured
young women. It was obvious that their respective wounds were
serious and life threatening. And the lovely countenances and
physical features of these young women had been badly marred.
Within a relatively short period of time, the two remaining
young women also died. All three of these virtuous, lovely,
and engaging young women--who seemed to have so much of life
in front of them--suddenly had gone home to their Eternal
Father. My attention and the attention of the respective
families now shifted to funeral arrangements and logistics. A
day or so later, in the midst of program planning and
detail arranging for the three funerals, I received a phone
call from the Relief Society president of my home ward. Her
daughter had been one of the victims in the accident, and
she and I had talked several times about her desires for the
funeral program. This faithful woman was a single mother rearing
her only child--her teenage daughter. I was especially close
to this woman and her daughter having served as both their
bishop and stake president. After reviewing and finalizing
several details for the funeral of her daughter, this good
sister said to me, “President, I am sure it was difficult
for you to see my daughter in the emergency room the other
day. She was severely injured and disfigured. As you know, we
will have a closed casket at the funeral. I have just
returned from the funeral home, and they have helped my
daughter to look so lovely again. I was just wondering… why
don't we arrange a time when we can meet at the mortuary and
you can have one last look at her before she is buried. Then
your final memories of my daughter will not be the images you
saw in the emergency room the other day.” I listened and
marveled at the compassion and thoughtfulness this sister had
for me. Her only daughter had just been tragically killed, but
she was concerned about the potentially troublesome memories I
might have, given my experience in the emergency room. In
this good woman I detected no self-pity and no turning
inward. Sorrow, certainly. Sadness, absolutely. Nevertheless, she
reached outward when many or perhaps most of us would have
turned inward with sorrow and grief. Let me now describe one
final episode related to these three tragic deaths. On the
day of her daughter's funeral, this Relief Society president
from my home ward received a phone call from an irritated
sister in our ward. The complaining sister had a cold and
did not feel well, and she basically chewed out the Relief
Society president for not being thoughtful or compassionate
enough to arrange for meals to be delivered to her home.
Just hours before the funeral of her only child, this
remarkable Relief Society president prepared and delivered a
meal to this complaining and murmuring sister.///
In the midst of losing her own daughter and having been hit with such
a difficult trial, this sister immediately reach out on several
different occasions. I was left pretty speechless as I heard this talk
for the first time and as I have studied it since. This sister was
healing her soul by reaching outward to serve others, even though she
was broken on the inside. What a powerful story. What a powerful lady.
It is an interesting concept isn't it? We heal ourselves, by reaching
out. I hope that I will always reach out, instead of always looking to
help myself...even in the face of difficult trials.
I love you all so much. Have a great week. REACH OUT....it heals the
soul. We can receive answers to our prayers. God is so merciful.
MUCH LOVE!!
--
Anziano JarDee Nessen
Italy Rome Mission
Romans 8:35-39
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